I think we did.

Joynty was a rolls royce of a second row, quick, powerful, evasive , ran great lines and could tackle anything and do it all day.

Like all top players, he changed his game as he got older. When the legs had gone and he could no longer break the line, he changed to a tackling machine.

We sure did! The best 6 or in Martyn's case (20) never to play for GB.

In his last year at the club in 2004 I thought he was superb on the right. Tackled everything and played as a 3rd Prop.

The thing I remember most about Joynt was the run of three games-
Picked up his 2nd Harry Sunderland in the 2000 GF
Our next match was the WCC against Brisbane - MoM again after scoring the winning try.
Then we played Wigan in a CC game as one of the (if not the) first matches of the 2001 season. Joynt was again given man o' the match.

Absolute legend.

Joynt was without doubt the best Second Rower of his generation. An outstanding professional, A great athlete, A great player, called tackle all day long and make breaks and had the turn of pace to convert them breaks into tries. I remember his wide to west try he played 70 mins (due to being sin binned) still made 40 plus tackles and still had the energy to take the pass from West and beat James Lowes and score.

Tommy came about 6 months after Joynty. I've still got a very old copy of a Rugby Leaguer where where there's an article (it might be a Dave 'Nosey' Parker one

) saying that Saints are weighing up a bid for two Oldham youngsters, Chris Joynt & Tommy Martyn.

I remember Joynt being mainly a fast SR'er, his game based on his running game. Then he seemed to morph into a tackling machine but was a less effective runner. Then the two sides of his game came together and bang! One of the best back rowers ever at Saints. Didn't he play loose forward for quite a while?

Anyone remember a Lancs Cup Final at KR, us against the pies? Think it ended up 5-4 to them. Joynt was head shoulders the best player on the pitch that game and so unlucky not to score the winning try in the corner late one (scorebord end, stand side)

I couldn't agree with this more.

We are far better having a player stepping down from a higher level than stepping up from a very low one. Even a player coming from say Widnes or Castleford or Hull KR

would be making a big step up.

Walsh is a very good bet. People on here are just sitting on the fence so if it doesn't work out they can slag off the club. They can then say whatever second/third/fourth rate player they wanted, that the club would never dream of signing, was a better option.

Some people just like to moan.

Warmsley and Hill aren't turning out too badly.

I genuinely think Walsh is a dud waiting to happen. Nothing against NRL players who aren't Cronk or Thurston.
Just think a HB combo of Hohaia and Walsh (if he turns out to be a dud) would be catastrophic.

When you first watch other unknowns like dureau they make you sit up and excite you. This bloke
doesn't and there is a body of documented opinion in Oz that suggests he would be destined to be Lance Mark2.

If he got player of the year for the Panthers in 2011, that suggests he's got soemthing about him. We're not gambling on him changing position like we did with Lance, although he would have to cope with moving around the world.

I'm not one for sucking off everything NRL, but when it comes to producing halfbacks, they're streets and streets ahead of us.

i never said that you couldn't! All I said was that you couldn't say it with [umuch conviction[/u.

- hey I even underlined it so you don't miss it this time!

FWIW, Shenton is not better with the ball - I don't want to turn this into a Turner v Shenton debate so I'll leave it there

But Hill and Walmsley are both forwards. I think that says a lot about the differences between developing a HB and a forward.

People are putting everything in place to hate Walsh if this signing does come off. IMO he's not world class but if he was anything other than half decent he wouldn't be leaving the NRL this kind of signing is the best we can hope for and at least he is a 7!

I don't really get the misgivings.

We're crying out for a 7 and here is one plying his trade in the NRL and coming off the back of a match winning performance where he showed the sort of kicking and passing game we are lacking.

People on here make me laugh. We go from "we need to bring in any old half back" to "I've not heard of him so he's going to be like Lance" (who in case you hadn't noticed, isn't a half back whereas this guy categorically is).

I'd be happy with Walsh.

Agreed (wholeheartedly).

Me too.

I've long maintained that Dobson is a pretty average player, but he is put on a pedalstal because in england because, for the last 10 years, this type of player is very rare.
The standard of controlling half back produced in Aus is miles ahead of us, if he's half decent - which winning Penrith Player of the year in 2011 suggest he is, then he'll be a real tonic to us.
Throw in a revitalised set of props, a fit again Lomax and Roby and all of a sudden we've got a (more than) decent team again.

[size=85Lomax
Makinson
Percival
Turner
new winger need assumin gardner and meli go
Hohaia, pressured by Charnock, Swift, Wheeler and Wilkin
Walsh
Amor
Roby
Paea
Manu
Flanaghan
Jones

Walmsley, LMS, Greenwood/Thompson, Soliola[/size
A team that in the majority is young, exciting and english.

It depends on the situation. If we brought Walsh in on loan now till the end of the season, I don't think anyone would complain. If we went and gave him a four year contract, it would be a different matter entirely.

People are going off the reports on him. When the report starts with 'the much maligned playmaker' then criticises Penrith for giving him a contract then describes him as a 'sitting duck', what exactly do you expect people to think? We can youtube some decent bits from him, as St Pete showed, there is one very impressive flick pass for a try. But there is also tons of criticism of him on the internet, both from news outlets and on Penrith fan forums.

If he turns out to be terrible, people are entitled to criticise as it's very obvious that he's struggled in the NRL recently. Hopefully if we are in for him, they are letting Brown and the coaching staff review and decide, rather than just doing what they did with Lance and signing a player just because he's available.

If Walsh - or any other player - was ripping it up in the NRL, then they ain't coming to SL.

The only way Saints get him is if he's struggling for form.

It's delusional to expect the cream of the NRL to come over here right now - all we are gonna get is players with baggage. Does Walsh look like he has potential? Yes.

And most importantly, of all the criticism of him, is anyone saying - he isn't a 7? Would be better at fullback/hooker/centre? Exactly! An undisputed 7 with some level of potential (POTY 2011 etc. etc.) On that basis I'd be pleased with his signing and don't know exactly what some others expect us to be doing.

Times have changed. NRL players willing to come over are at a premium with the cap, exchange rate & a far better comp. The "homegrown" rule & increase makes getting an overseas player a difficult & competetive process. No player would be willing to come over here on loan as there will always be a lesser club offering a longer contract to compete.
2-3 yr deal or it just won't happen. Im sure weve done our homework this time with likes of Daniel Anderson still in regular communication with the club, weve just got to trust Mike Rush on his recruitment selections.

No one is expecting the cream of the crop to come over, but there is no point signing a player just because we can. They need to evaluate it properly and be sure he's better than the options available in this country. If Brown deemed him to be so, then great, sign him up. It is one of the most important decisions the club will make, they need to get this right. Signing Perry, Laffranchi and Hohaia set our progress back a couple of years and we need to get this one right. Another poor signing and we can forget the next 2 or 3 years as well.

Agree with your post, but it seems to me there are zero options in this country. The best OOC 'half-back' is Hanbury who has played most of his rugby at 1 this year.

We need a traditional 7. Desperately. Walsh fits the bill for me.

I don't think anyone will argue with that.

The club has to be thorough and they have to get the right number 7 that will lead us around the field for the next 3 or 4 years at least. Since Long left we've had no stability in this position with Smith, Eastmond, Lomax and the multiple players from this season trying in this role. We need a good half back to come in and that position needs to be stable.

If Luke Walsh is deemed that man then fair enough, I know very little about him to comment too much.

He's been released from Penrith from the end of the season, expected to join Saints.

At least he's a natural scrum half and can kick goals. Got Penrith player of the year in 2011 so must have something about him. Let's hope he's not a dud, a la Lance and Perry.

At least we're signing him to play in the right position, which should avoid another Lance situ.

He should be good enough to do the job. You don't get player of the year at an NRL club without having some ability and he won that award in front of players like Michael Jennings, Petero Civoniceva (who was a big money signing for them), Trenerhouse and Michael Worrincy.

Don't expect a world beater, but hopefully someone who'll improve our team no-end.